Ruling The Void: The Hollowing Of Western Democracy

By Peter Mair

In the long-established democracies of Western Europe, electoral turnouts are in decline, membership is shrinking in the major parties, and those who remain loyal partisans are sapped of enthusiasm. Peter Mair’s new book weighs the impact of these changes, which together show that, after a century of democratic aspiration, electorates are deserting the political arena. Mair examines the alarming parallel development that has seen Europe’s political elites remodel themselves as a homogeneous professional class, withdrawing into state institutions that offer relative stability in a world of fickle voters. Meanwhile, non-democratic agencies and practices proliferate and gain credibility—not least among them the European Union itself, an organization contributing to the depoliticization of the member states and one whose notorious ‘democratic deficit’ reflects the deliberate intentions of its founders.

Ruling the Void offers an authoritative and chilling assessment of the prospects for popular political representation today, not only in the varied democracies of Europe but throughout the developed world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781781682340

Reviews for Ruling The Void

[aitastaes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The argument that Western democracy is being hollowed out, as political participation declines and party allegiance weakens, is now widely cited. Yet the indicators can be uncertain and until now there hasn't been a comprehensive comparative study. Ruling the Void analyzes democratic trends over the last few decades, in Europe and America, and argues that there are two complementary processes at work. Popular disengagement, and the withdrawal of political elites from a representative role, are both contributing to the death of the political party - and with it the characteristic form of Western democracy. This landmark study will become a reference point for anyone interested in the future of representative democracy.